Vehicle Pursuit in Cathedral City Leads to Arrest

After vehicle pursuit halted, suspect collided with gas pumps, fire ignites

A 24-year-old man of Desert Hot Springs was arrested and booked for driving while intoxicated, felony evading arrest, resisting arrest, and animal cruelty on July 15 following a vehicle pursuit, Cathedral City Police report.

It all began at approximately 2:55 a.m. when a Cathedral City Police Officer witnessed a 2019 Honda Civic run a red light eastbound on East Palm Canyon at Van Fleet, traveling at a high rate of speed. The officer attempted to stop the driver for the vehicle code violation; however, the driver refused to yield, and a vehicle pursuit was initiated, according to police.

Officers pursued the suspect eastbound on Highway 111 to the City of Indio. During the pursuit, the suspect crossed over into the westbound lanes several times while traveling eastbound at a high rate of speed. The pursuit was canceled shortly after entering the City of Indio.

After the pursuit was canceled, the suspect traveled another 3.5 miles before he lost control and crashed near the intersection of Indio Boulevard and Van Buren Street. The suspect collided with two gas pumps at the Sinclair Gas Station. A fire ignited due to the collision and was contained to the vehicle and the two pumps before being extinguished by fire department personnel.

After his arrest, it was determined Zeus Rico was driving with a suspended license and had a previous DUI arrest. He was booked into the Riverside County Jail – Indio after receiving medical clearance at a local hospital. His dog was uninjured and was taken to a local animal shelter.

If you have information related to this incident or believe you may have information, please contact the Cathedral City Police Department at (760) 770-0300; or via the Cathedral City Police Department website at: cathedralcitypolice.com; or email [email protected] . You may also report information anonymously through Coachella Valley Crime Stoppers, by calling (760) 341-STOP; or through the WeTip hotline at: 1-(800)-78-CRIME or WWW.WETIP.com. Some tip information may qualify for a cash reward.